This application relates to shoe polishing devices and, more particularly, to a shoe polishing apparatus that is automated and has an electronic shoe recognition module.
Having one's shoes polished well can provide an added level of confidence to a man's attire. In fact, it has often been said, “You can tell a man's character from his shoes.” In times past, seeing one or more “shoeshine boys” having a chair and a shoeshine box for shining the shoes of proper gentlemen was common. Today, this trade is less common but still available in travel and business locations. Further, in the modern era where wearing scuffed and unpolished shoes is commonplace, the art of polishing one's own shoes regularly is not often practiced or taught to the next generation. Therefore, a more convenient means for polishing one's shoes is needed.
A few automated shoe polishing devices have been proposed in the art for receiving a pair of shoes, say, into a box and applying shoe polish to them or buffing them to a shine.
Although presumably effective for their intended purposes, the proposed devices do not apply the technologies of digitally scanning the received shoes (such as with a laser mapping method), identifying the shoes and determining the appropriate characteristics and method for best treating them (including color or type of polish that is needed), and then dispensing the respective polish onto the shoes, and polishing the received shoes using the computer determined polishing material and method.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have an automated shoe polishing apparatus and method that satisfies these shortcomings in the prior art.